Cooling the Heat of Summer

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Mountains and trees worshiping the Creator

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.
Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants. 
Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord. Psalm 89:14-15 NLT

Where can you go,
when the world is unraveling?
Where can you go,
when justice is gone traveling?
Where can you go,
when love no longer matters?
Where can you go,
when truth is shred in tatters?

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!” Psalm 122:1 NLT

Bowing before God, praising the King,
enlivens the soul when the heart starts to sing.
calming our fears with unfailing love.
Switching our vision to focus above.

Overlooking Love

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The often overlooked Spring Beauty

Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.  Psalm 17:7 NLT

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:11 NIV

Jesus, show me Your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
I do not want to overlook a single one
All goodness known and unknown is in You.
and You desire to lavish Your goodness on me.
When I stray, you go out to find me.
You forgive me and do not hold my weakness against me.
You have taken away all my guilt and shame.
You want me to be with You.
You have given me grace and hope in You.
You will never leave me nor forsake me,
and I will live in Your loving kindness forever.
Lord, help me to not overlook the many ways of Your unfailing love,
but rejoice in each one.

God’s Song of Delight

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Choir of Indian Paintbrush

The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

There is a song my Lord sings to me,
a song of great delight,
a song to soothe my spirit,
a song of hope and light.
Lord open my ears to hear Your song,
my eyes to see Your face,
open my soul to sing along
Your song of mercy and grace.

Rejoicing in the Coming Day

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Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!  Isaiah 30:18 NIV

Hope is waiting for me to bow at the cross.
Goodness is waiting for me to worship the King of kings.
Love is waiting for me to receive it in Jesus
Peace is waiting for me to believe in the Prince of Peace.
Joy is waiting for me to shout—
Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:22-24 NIV

Little Pine

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Yellowstone Grand Canyon

Once a bird left a seed behind
On a cliff where no plant should be
The seed struggled wanting to be a pine.
But this, no place to grow a tree.
Life won’t last upon that rock.
Why even try? occurred to me.
But the seed sent its roots through the cracks
in futile hope to grow.
“It’s more of a bush than a tree,” mocked a passing crow.
Then from this twisted shrub
God’s light did blaze.
An old man climbed up to have a gaze.
The light changed the tree to a holy place.
For Moses and Israel it became a sign
of God’s greater plans and design.
Pointing to a future rock and dying tree
Where God would hang to set them free.

There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Exodus 3:2 NIV

Deep Calls to Deep

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My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me. (Psalm 42:6-7 NIV)

Sometimes I miss a beautiful scene,
because I see superficially.
Sometimes I miss God’s voice,
because I listen half heartedly.

Stop! Listen and understand.

Let the roar of God’s waterfall of love
sweep into your deep places
God’s deep mercy and grace
calling to your deep need.

Thou Art with Me

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Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me. Psalm 23:4

Thank You, LORD, for giving me life,
Not just life,
but life with You.
Not just life with You,
but Your life in me.
Not just Christ in me,
but I in You—my hope of glory.
Not just me in You, but through You I produce good fruit for God.
Thank You LORD for giving me life with grand purpose in You.

Life is not a matter of knowledge of God or doing for God, but of a loving relationship with God.

Trees Raising Limbs of Praise

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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1

Each tree a witness
of creation’s story.
The clouds rolling in
to heighten God’s glory.
Pity the eyes that do not see,
this miraculous witness of the tree.

The Beginning of a Simple Day

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Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelations 11:15

A simple day is so much more,
when you meditate on what’s in store.
I can rejoice in this day,
because it’s the beginning of forever.
Praise the LORD!

The LORD will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the LORD! Psalm 145:16 NLT

The Dark Accosting Son Rise

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The Horror of Darkness

The pain and horror of death is not fully realized until you understand the life you have forfeited. Jesus in the last hours of His life knew the glory of heaven that He had given up, for our sake, and the darkness He had chosen.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)